So, I was a little off with my first week predictions, but I don't think I was alone.  The AFC as a whole failed to show up and none of the teams in the upper echelon looked impressive except for Dallas.  Philly and Pittsburgh both looked very good but it's going to take consistency and healthy QB's this season.  If your team plays west of the Mississippi, you didn't have a good Sunday.  My Raiders are really really bad.  To top it off, McFadden, the one shining light, managed to hurt his shoulder in the fourth quarter after the Raiders' 47th personal foul penalty.  The Raiders are almost as depressing as school.  On to the rankings.

32.  Detroit Lions (0-1)

The Lions will be here until they win a game after losing to Atlanta and giving up 34 points to a Matt Ryan led team.  I hate Detroit.  I'm never betting on them again.  Ever.  If I pick them against the spread just shoot me.  Picking them is the equivalent of popping your collar at night.  If I do either you have carte blanche to knock me out.  I hate Eminem now too.

31.  St. Louis Rams (0-1)

Operation Bet Against The Rams is 1-0.  There's not showing up and then there's doing what the Rams did on Sunday.  How do you expect to win a game when you have no offensive line or defense?  I feel bad for Marc Bulger.  That guy is going to have a very rough season.

30.  Oakland Raiders (0-1)

I can't imagine attending Monday Night's game.  That was absolutely awful.  I went to a few UCLA/USC games during my tenure as a Bruin and those sucked, but they still don't seem as bad as the Raiders' opener.  It's one thing to be inept, it's another thing to commit a penalty every other play and it's still another thing yet to have a few good plays negated by losses of 15+ yards without even committing a penalty.  It's going to be another ugly year for the silver and black.  Al Davis will be doing Lane Kiffen a favor when he fires him. 

29.  Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)

They looked respectable against the Pats.  Granted the Pats were probably in shellshock mode, but still, it was a road game against a team that went undefeated last year.  Even with Cassel at the helm, the Pats should have wiped the floor with the Chiefs.  The Chiefs still stink but they may be feisty in home games. 

28.  Atlanta Falcons (1-0)

They're 1-0.  One more win and they'll have met my expectations.  This is a team that has come together and is looking to beat the odds.  I'm just not sure they have the personnel to do it.  Actually, I'm sure they don't have the personnel to do it.  They have their first road game coming up and reality should set back in for the baby Falcons.

27.  Miami Dolphins (0-1)

Noodle Arm almost did it.  He almost beat the J.E.T.S. in what would have been way up there on the revenge game list.  This team is still too young but this week's game at Arizona is very winnable. 

26.  Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)

I may be wrong but that is a really weird line this coming week against Tennessee.  It's not like Kerry Collins a big downgrade over Vince Young.  Still though, Cincinnati was horrible.  Carson Palmer looked inept.  They have no line.  More importantly, you get the feeling that everyone on that team is just down.  They're frustrated and expect bad things to happen.  I'm with them.  This is a bad football team.

25.  San Francisco 49ers (0-1)

The team looked very rusty but I must say I'm slightly impressed by O'Sullivan.  He's a guy you can root for too.  Of course it doesn't take much for him to exceed the expectations I had for his performance, but still, I think he can take this team to the playoffs.  Watch for them to ride Frank Gore and a decent defense to a possible shocker this week at Seattle. 

24.  Arizona Cardinals (1-0)

They can't run the ball and they can't stop the run.  That is a bad combination.  Add to that the fact that Kurt Warner was under too much pressure and you get a team that could be in some trouble.  They're going to need to force a lot of turnovers to get some wins.

23.  Baltimore Ravens (1-0)

I'm not sold on this team after they eked out a win at home against the Bungles.  Their defense looked good but the offense did not.  The Ravens will struggle sustaining drives and the defense had better be good because it will be seeing a lot of field time.

22.  Seattle Seahawks (0-1)

Wow.  They looked really bad.  Of course it doesn't help that their entire receiving corps is on the injured list and that their starting QB is injured but trying to play through the pain, but still.  That wasn't even close and it's not like the Bills are a juggernaut.  We at RW think Seattle will be hard pressed to avoid an upset at home to the lowly 49ers.

21.  Washington Redskins (0-1)

They're not quite there yet but they seem to be on the right path.  The offense is definitely not clicking but you can see that the team buys into what Zorn is selling.  If the front four can apply some pressure, Washington will prove what the Giants already know.  This is not a team that you will necessarily want to play.

20.  Chicago Bears (1-0)

Now let's not go and overreact now.  The Bears' defense is intact but this team is still being led by Kyle Orton and a rookie running back although Forte did look good.  Give me another week of looking good on the road and then maybe I'll start believing.

19.  Cleveland Browns (0-1)

Sorry Cleveland fans, but it has begun.  The collapse that many are predicting is well on its way.  Browns fans will go from rooting for wins to slowly questioning Derek Anderson at QB.  ETA for Brady Quinn, 6 weeks.

18.  Houston Texans (0-1)

I honestly believe that this is a solid football team but I don't think I can rank them any higher after last week's performance against Pittsburgh.  Expect a big rebound game this weekend at home against Baltimore.

17.  Carolina Panthers (1-0)

I think it's safe to say that nobody saw that coming.  One play meant bye bye to about 10% of everybody's survivor league.  The Panthers' defense looks good and the offense was able to move the ball effectively.  Will the Panthers really be 2-0?

16.  Denver Broncos (1-0)

They did look impressive but take it from this Raiders fan, it's not that hard to look good against the Raiders this season.  They found a guy to line up on the other side of the field from Brandon Marshall.  Cutler will have a breakout year.  But again, how will the defense do against a real team?  We'll find out this week against a hungry San Diego team.

15.  Buffalo Bills (1-0)

Buffalo looked good in week 1 against a depleted Seahawks team.  Marshawn Lynch looks to be off to a good start and the defense looks much better up front, though that's not too tough against the Seahawks.  Expect the Bills to drop a couple of spots after playing the Jags.

14.  New York Jets (1-0)

The Jets were able to sneak out of Miami with a win.  They must be smelling blood in the water with Brady out of commission.  It will be interesting to see how the first few minutes of the game play out.  If the Jets can avoid turning the ball over they should be in good shape.  Unfortunately that might be a problem for them.

13.  Tennessee Titans (1-0)

Their defense looked scary good in Week 1.  Vince Young is crying somewhere right now and injured for the next 2-4 weeks but as a VY skeptic, I'm not that worried.  I don't see any reason why Tennessee should struggle this coming week, but Vegas does.  I'm not going to tell you whom to trust here.

12.  Minnesota Vikings (0-1)

The Vikings drop, but not much.  It may have been asking a lot of the Vikes to go into Lambo in Week 1 against an energized team and crowd and expect them to win.  However, the Vikings proved again that they are able to run the ball.  If they can stop getting penalized then they should be okay.

11.  New England Patriots (1-0)

Rule #5 of gambling.  Always bet on a team who suffers the loss of a big name guy to injury.  My friend Charles and I marvel at how often people overvalue guys.  Yes, Brady is an exceptional QB, but is he a 10-point player?  No.  The Pats may struggle at first with Cassel but the system is still in place.  The Pats will be fine. 

10.  New York Giants (1-0)

The Giants moved the ball effectively against a game Redskins squad but Eli Manning did not exactly look good.  If not for Plaxico Burress, his numbers would have looked pretty bad.  Luckily for the G-Men, they get to play the Rams this week.  2-0 it is.

9.  Green Bay Packers (1-0)

Aaron Rogers seems to have what it takes.  More importantly, his team knows it.  The defense did its job in coming up with the clincher against a good Vikings team.  This week's game could be a trap game at Detroit after how pathetic the Lions looked in Week 1 but I don't see this Packers team taking any games for granted this year as long as Favre keeps winning in New York.

8.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)

That's right.  I'm jinxing my survivor pick.  Brian Griese you say?  I don't care.  There is ZERO chance that the Bucs lose this game to the Falcons.  Atlanta will be lucky to cross midfield.  I like how Tampa came out in Week 1 and I don't expect Matt Ryan to beat them in Week 2.  The Bucs will be 1-1.  Book it.

7.  Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

Things are not going to get any easier for the Colts heading into Week 2.  This will be a gut check week for Dungy's guys and we'll see if Peyton Manning is able to look at all like the Peyton Manning we're used to seeing.  This is the game I'll be watching on Sunday.

6.  San Diego Chargers (0-1)

I really don't like Rivers.  He just seems like such a jerk.  The Chargers are now officially sans Merriman.  Still though, the Chargers play in the AFC West so they should be able to have a lot of recovery weeks this season.  However, I'm not sure how much of a recovery game Denver's home opener will be.  An 0-2 start for San Diego would be detrimental to the group's psyche.

5.  New Orleans Saints (1-0)

I'm not sure that I'm completely sold on the Saints' defense but, even without Colston for the next month and change, Brees will still be able to throw the ball all over the field.  Add to that the real Reggie Bush finally showing up and you have yourself a top-5 team.

4.  Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

We saw what you can expect out of this team.  The Jaguars are a team that needs to hold onto the ball and grind a game out.  They cannot afford to turn the ball over and they need to be frontrunners to get easy wins.  If Garrard can get over last week and get into last year's form, the Jags can quietly become a Super Bowl favorite by mid-season.

3.  Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)

Pittsburgh sure did look good last weekend and Fast Willy Parker made me eat my words against the Texans.  However, I'm still not completely buying into the Steelers' run game.  They get a Cleveland team that will be reeling already after last week's game.  Pittsburgh figures to be in good shape.

2.  Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

That's right.  I'm putting my sleeper team up to #2 already.  This could be a major jinx but I think that they'll beat the Cowboys on Monday Night Football in a shocker.  You know that they'll be motivated and they are going to look good on both sides of the ball.  I like this team.

1.  Dallas Cowboys (1-0)

Not much bad you can say about this Cowboys team.  They can run the ball effectively with Barber and Jones.  Romo looks good.  T.O. is doing his Usain Bolt impression and the defense has already shown that it has some teeth.  The only thing that can stop them is a close game where the team grandma, Wade Phillips, has to make some decisions.

WEEK 2 PICKS

Oakland +3.5 at Kansas City
Tennessee + 1 at Cincinnati
Minnesota +2 vs. Indianapolis
New Orleans -1 at Washington
Green Bay -3 at Detroit
Carolina -3 vs. Chicago
Giants -9 at St. Louis
Jacksonville -5 vs. Buffalo
Tampa Bay -7 vs. Atlanta
San Francisco +6.5 at Seattle
Miami +6 at Arizona
New England +1 at Jets
San Diego -1 at Denver
Cleveland +6.5 vs. Pittsburgh
Philadelphia +6.5 at Dallas

Today's Pick:  Rutgers/UNC Under 47.